Five people who design newspaper layouts were laid off in Traverse City on Tuesday. They worked for CNHI, the company that owns the Traverse City Record-Eagle.

Record-Eagle Publisher Paul Heidbreder says the employees were part of a local "design hub" that worked on layouts for newspapers across the country, but CNHI is reducing the number of papers designed out of Traverse City.

Michigan’s unemployment rate has dropped to 5.6 percent. That’s a reduction of three-tenths of a percentage point, which is a bigger-than-usual adjustment.

But that decline in the monthly rate is due to a reduction in the workforce, as it’s measured by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and the state Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives. Actual month-to-month new hiring was flat, but there were fewer people competing for those jobs.

That didn’t stop Governor Rick Snyder (R) from trumpeting the new jobs numbers in a prepared statement:

Have you ever walked into a business and been served by someone with a tattoo on their neck or hands? Did it shock you? Shock or not, tattooed workers are becoming more and more common.

And business owners say that’s at least partly due to a tight labor market.

Frances Holmes is human resources director for Blarney Castle Oil, which runs more than 90 convenience stores all over northern Michigan. Many of the stores are located in seasonal, resort communities.